Montana governor imposes travel self-quarantine

Gov. Steve Bullock on Monday directed that travelers arriving from another state or country to Montana for non-work-related purposes undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.

The directive further instructs the Montana Department of Commerce to advise vacation listing and rental sites they must notify potential out-of-state renters about the quarantine requirement. Health-care workers are excluded from the directive.

The directive also authorizes the Montana National Guard to conduct temperature checks at Montana airports and rail stations and screen for potential exposure history for travelers arriving in Montana from state or country.

The directive comes on the heels of the governor’s prior travel advisory and last week’s stay-at-home directive.

“While we love our visitors, we would ask that you not come visit while Montanans are watching out for one another by staying at home,” Bullock said in a press release. “This is important not only to protect our health-care system, but also to protect against the spread of COVID-19.”

Bullock said that currently, travel from another state or country is the most common known source of COVID-19 infections in Montana.

The latest directive applies both to Montana residents and non-residents entering the state for non-work-related purposes. It requires a self-quarantine of 14 days, or the duration of a non-work trip to Montana, whichever is shorter.